August 31 ~ Luke 6:35-36
“Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don’t be concerned about the fact that they won’t repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as sons of God: for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are very wicked.”
“Try to show as much compassion as your Father does.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I have been reading a few Facebook posts from people who claim to be Christians that are truly up in arms over the recently proposed student loan forgiveness program, in which individuals who make less than $125,000 annually could receive a $10,000 debt cancellation. I am not writing this to debate whether student loans should be forgiven. Quickly, debates on social media have escalated and become about something else completely, and as one friend put it, “One thing I see magnified in every conversation like this is that the care for others is at an all-time low.”
As I considered these comments, I thought about Jesus. He has never qualified “debt forgiveness.” Most certainly, Jesus has never said, “I am not helping him, because I know straight up that he will never repay me” or “Why should I forgive her, when she has basically lived a good life and is doing okay? Does she really need my help as much as others?” I am grateful that Jesus doesn’t rank and rate us in any way, aren’t you?!
Yesterday, a friend related that she and her husband sat down at a local eatery for dinner after their grandson’s soccer meet. When they tried to pay the bill, the waitress said that someone else had paid it – and called the person by name. They looked up and saw their neighbor, a single mother, waving at them and smiling. Of course, my friend said they would surely pay this forward. But there were two things about this that struck me…1) this was a kind gesture by someone who appreciates sweet neighbors; and 2) there was likely some financial sacrifice involved, since my friend made a point to note on Facebook that this benefactor was a single mother.
Clearly, this woman did not view my friends as enemies…but she also was not seeking a payback. She was simply giving generously. Here’s the thing…this is not about monetary gifts, or paying for meals, or even student loan forgiveness. Jesus is telling us to look around and see who needs to be loved in some manner…and to do it! Smiling at someone costs nothing. Being kind to someone who has been unkind – even downright mean or hateful toward you – won’t kill you. Welcoming people of all races, ethnic groups, social classes, sexual orientations and more to worship with you is not only scriptural, it is a huge part of faithful Christian discipleship. And keeping score is not what Jesus expects of us.
Treating others with unconditional love, kindness and acceptance does not make you weak or indicate an endorsement of the situation at hand – or the person you are loving. This actually says more about your love of Jesus – and obedience to His commands. In other words, it is time for us to stop trying to play judge and jury – and to look for opportunities to love others unconditionally and treat them as we wish to be treated – or better! Look around…there are plenty of prospects and possibilities! Alleluia!
©2022 Debbie Robus
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